Emails, texts, tweets, posts – in the 21st century, we write more than ever but without putting pen to paper. We frequently and casually fire off digital messages using generic text speak and enigmatic emojis, which reveal little about the individual behind the digital device.

When handwriting rather than typing was the norm, letters and cards turned a lens on to the person holding the pen. How you dotted your i’s and crossed your t’s said something about your personality; so did the type of paper you chose and the style of pen you used.

There’s time and thought required in the penmanship of a letter, two things considered anathema to our busy modern lives, especially now that AI can spit out something sufficient in seconds.

Personal cards and letters now make up just 7 per cent of letters sent via An Post (the rest are generated by businesses or Government bodies). The overall volume of letters is down by 8 per cent in the past year alone, and is just half of what it was a decade ago.

But like vinyl, film cameras and the Irish language, letter writing is enjoying a renaissance among some people who still appreciate the value of putting pen to paper, or receiving a letter or card through the letterbox.

Coibhe Butler, founder of Plunkett Press, a hand-printed stationery company, has been writing letters to her best friend, novelist Ally Bunbury, for the past 25 years.